Thank you for this: you’re giving fascinating ready-to-eat insight into this aspect of neurodivergence. Incredible post. So pleased you’ve got your diagnosis. :D
Neurodivergence sounds like a dystopian novel. I'll bet sometimes life feels that way too. Happy you got a diagnosis and even happier that you are sharing. The more we know, the more we know.
So insightful! Thank you for helping me understand a little more. I've shared with someone married to a person with ADHD. The title of your piece made me SO nervous. It took me two days to recover after seeing "Everywhere Everything All At Once." Can't wait to find out what a Velvetiser is:)
Thanks for sharing, unbelievable how well structured and thought through all your content and courses are. I always was a bit jalous how clear you put yourself out there, without knowing, that it cost you so much energy. Hope you can improve most of the circumstances you struggled with in the past.
“I can see how much of my life I’ve shrunk down to a size I can handle as I’ve gotten older — if I’d been diagnosed in my 20s it would have been very different.” This. Yup. I read a post the other day about slow living. And I was like: erm, that’s what I have been doing to cope and excuse me this is a trend? Yeah, like you I have wondered over the past two years what my life would have been like if I had a diagnosis as a kid. The signs - looking back - were so obvious. Be gentle with yourself. I never expected the turmoil the actual diagnosis threw me in for a while. Now, though I feel a lot better, the discovery is ongoing but the knowledge helps.
Same. But grammar school in the 70s. Even after all these years of friendship I’m still surprised by the extent of our common experience because it never made any sense. Now it does eh?
Thank you so much for sharing this all, I love you writing style. As someone who is currently going through a similar process (booking in for an assessment) I can't even begin to explain how helpful it is reading your experience. I get it. The best of wishes for you with this new found information and diagnosis! x
Every time I read one if your ADHD posts I see SO MUCH of myself in them. My son has ADHD and at this point I’m pretty confident I do as well and should probably think about testing and seeing what I can do about it (it’s 100% gotten worse as I get older). Thanks for helping me feel less alone in this and for sharing your experience. ♥️
This and all of this. Tears of understanding, connection, and gratitude for your post, Susannah. I was diagnosed in my 50s and have yet to fully understand all the individual nuances of my ADHD. Your post and experiences shed a little more light on life inside my head. A “lost generation” lands heavy on my heart. I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up and didn’t have the confidence to pursue what I loved. Years and a life of bouncing around yet staying grounded in college. It was my structure. So of course academia was my home for 25 years and yet I hated how I felt there: never smart enough even after earning full professor. Thank you again Susannah. You’re a gift. ❤️
Oct 8, 2022·edited Oct 8, 2022Liked by Susannah Conway
Love this. Describe me in Many ways...and as you in a way I will not change it with a pill. I will just try to learn how to use it more " in my favor" and stop feeling guilty all the time. ❤️ and thank you!
Very excited for you to now know that your were never “crazy” just different .
I have adhd too - diagnosis late sept last year when I couldn’t study for my exam . I am now 51 year. Like you I too am fearful of drugs . But here’s the kicker. They are not addicting . I tell my own patients to go off them over the weekends if they want to . I use vyvanse - it’s a prodrug and is only released once the lysine which it is attached to is broken off the amphetaime . Once it has metabolized - it’s done and you go back to “crazy” you lol .
There is no high feeling . You just function and focus on the task at hand . Mind you , you can still become distracted but the medication allows you to focus on what you want to focus on . It has regulated my mood a lot . I’m normally very reactive but now I sit there quietly as my partner goes blah blah blah . Lol .
Try it for a week and see the difference . I promise you , you will write more courses in half the time.
If you are still perimenopausal - your fluctuating hormones will alter your adhd symptoms .
Look up the attitudemag. Com and search for woman with adhd. There is a video by a psychiatrist.
There’s nothing to feel ashamed about . Adhd folks make great hackers in life . Our sense of coping skills is far better than most out there .
Thank you for all this, hon! I wouldn't take a pill to change my brain to "normal" but i'm actually very open to trying medication to see how it can support me, so very encouraging to read your insights, thank you!
Google Dr Sarah Binder . She’s a psychiatrist in Canada who works with adhd patients and gave a webinar on adhd in women. I think the video is either on attitudemag or CADDAC website. I love her insight and attend all of her webinars when invited.
I encourage you to entertain the idea of a trial for just a week or so . It primes the “no i don’t want drugs” mindset to be open an accepting of whatever the results.
If you try vyvanse - ask for 10mg to start off with . It’s below the starting dose of 20mg but I do this with patients to give them the opportunity to deal with any mild nausea or headaches that may come with the medication use. Some stay on this dose and some titrate up . Curiosity leads to the increase in dosing until they realize “oh I get the same effects with a lower dose”. The reason I like vyvanse - it’s releases the amphetaime at a stable dose throughout the day and kicks in within an hour . It can last in your system for up to 12-14 hours but some are fast metabolizers and the Med wears off sooner .
If you try concerta which is methylphenidate , it has a OROS releasing system . A spike and then steady release. Start on the lowest dose too . Many patients can’t tolerate the spike and feel stir crazy .
Other adhd meds work on the “bead release system “ so there’s never a feeling of “steady state”.
I suggest a long acting Med over a short acting Med as you don’t want to be “remembering” yet another task to take your second pill .
I have an excellent chart on all of the medication used in adhd . I will email this to you :)
Thank you so much for all this! I'm actually very open to trying medication as a tool to support me -- I'd love to see that chart, thank you Natasha ❤️❤️
As always, thoughtfully explored and perfectly you! The more we see neurodivergence in all its forms through all parts of the world, the more we all grow. Thank you for sharing this new awareness and love you! (as an introvert who also periodically goes into a hole and comes back to friends and family as if no time has past, I am sending you a high five for that trait 🥰)
I was diagnosed with ADD years ago and have many workarounds in place. I never realized that my not remembering to reach out to people is part of my ADD
Hopefully the diagnosis will lead to improved quality of life! Good luck!
Thanks Mark!
Thank you for this: you’re giving fascinating ready-to-eat insight into this aspect of neurodivergence. Incredible post. So pleased you’ve got your diagnosis. :D
Thank you lovely -- it's been so illuminating!
I'll bet it has! Kudos! :D
Neurodivergence sounds like a dystopian novel. I'll bet sometimes life feels that way too. Happy you got a diagnosis and even happier that you are sharing. The more we know, the more we know.
It really does, doesn't it? 😂
So insightful! Thank you for helping me understand a little more. I've shared with someone married to a person with ADHD. The title of your piece made me SO nervous. It took me two days to recover after seeing "Everywhere Everything All At Once." Can't wait to find out what a Velvetiser is:)
Sherry, I highly recommend the velvetiser ;-) xx
Thanks for sharing, unbelievable how well structured and thought through all your content and courses are. I always was a bit jalous how clear you put yourself out there, without knowing, that it cost you so much energy. Hope you can improve most of the circumstances you struggled with in the past.
“I can see how much of my life I’ve shrunk down to a size I can handle as I’ve gotten older — if I’d been diagnosed in my 20s it would have been very different.” This. Yup. I read a post the other day about slow living. And I was like: erm, that’s what I have been doing to cope and excuse me this is a trend? Yeah, like you I have wondered over the past two years what my life would have been like if I had a diagnosis as a kid. The signs - looking back - were so obvious. Be gentle with yourself. I never expected the turmoil the actual diagnosis threw me in for a while. Now, though I feel a lot better, the discovery is ongoing but the knowledge helps.
Same, wasn't expecting this much anger and grief (though Jo did warn me!) .... still glad i know, though. Very glad x
Same. But grammar school in the 70s. Even after all these years of friendship I’m still surprised by the extent of our common experience because it never made any sense. Now it does eh?
We are a due a very very very long lunch and catch up ❤️
Wow fascinating and I am so happy you got the diagnosis!
Thank you so much for sharing this all, I love you writing style. As someone who is currently going through a similar process (booking in for an assessment) I can't even begin to explain how helpful it is reading your experience. I get it. The best of wishes for you with this new found information and diagnosis! x
You too, lovely! ❤️
Every time I read one if your ADHD posts I see SO MUCH of myself in them. My son has ADHD and at this point I’m pretty confident I do as well and should probably think about testing and seeing what I can do about it (it’s 100% gotten worse as I get older). Thanks for helping me feel less alone in this and for sharing your experience. ♥️
This and all of this. Tears of understanding, connection, and gratitude for your post, Susannah. I was diagnosed in my 50s and have yet to fully understand all the individual nuances of my ADHD. Your post and experiences shed a little more light on life inside my head. A “lost generation” lands heavy on my heart. I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up and didn’t have the confidence to pursue what I loved. Years and a life of bouncing around yet staying grounded in college. It was my structure. So of course academia was my home for 25 years and yet I hated how I felt there: never smart enough even after earning full professor. Thank you again Susannah. You’re a gift. ❤️
Yes. Yes. YES! Me, too! ❤️
❤️
Love this. Describe me in Many ways...and as you in a way I will not change it with a pill. I will just try to learn how to use it more " in my favor" and stop feeling guilty all the time. ❤️ and thank you!
Very excited for you to now know that your were never “crazy” just different .
I have adhd too - diagnosis late sept last year when I couldn’t study for my exam . I am now 51 year. Like you I too am fearful of drugs . But here’s the kicker. They are not addicting . I tell my own patients to go off them over the weekends if they want to . I use vyvanse - it’s a prodrug and is only released once the lysine which it is attached to is broken off the amphetaime . Once it has metabolized - it’s done and you go back to “crazy” you lol .
There is no high feeling . You just function and focus on the task at hand . Mind you , you can still become distracted but the medication allows you to focus on what you want to focus on . It has regulated my mood a lot . I’m normally very reactive but now I sit there quietly as my partner goes blah blah blah . Lol .
Try it for a week and see the difference . I promise you , you will write more courses in half the time.
If you are still perimenopausal - your fluctuating hormones will alter your adhd symptoms .
Look up the attitudemag. Com and search for woman with adhd. There is a video by a psychiatrist.
There’s nothing to feel ashamed about . Adhd folks make great hackers in life . Our sense of coping skills is far better than most out there .
I wish you much more dopamine filled days .
Love to baba 🥰
Thank you for all this, hon! I wouldn't take a pill to change my brain to "normal" but i'm actually very open to trying medication to see how it can support me, so very encouraging to read your insights, thank you!
also YES! Perimenopause has intensified it for sure. I've been reading about how hormone changes impact us 👍
Google Dr Sarah Binder . She’s a psychiatrist in Canada who works with adhd patients and gave a webinar on adhd in women. I think the video is either on attitudemag or CADDAC website. I love her insight and attend all of her webinars when invited.
I encourage you to entertain the idea of a trial for just a week or so . It primes the “no i don’t want drugs” mindset to be open an accepting of whatever the results.
If you try vyvanse - ask for 10mg to start off with . It’s below the starting dose of 20mg but I do this with patients to give them the opportunity to deal with any mild nausea or headaches that may come with the medication use. Some stay on this dose and some titrate up . Curiosity leads to the increase in dosing until they realize “oh I get the same effects with a lower dose”. The reason I like vyvanse - it’s releases the amphetaime at a stable dose throughout the day and kicks in within an hour . It can last in your system for up to 12-14 hours but some are fast metabolizers and the Med wears off sooner .
If you try concerta which is methylphenidate , it has a OROS releasing system . A spike and then steady release. Start on the lowest dose too . Many patients can’t tolerate the spike and feel stir crazy .
Other adhd meds work on the “bead release system “ so there’s never a feeling of “steady state”.
I suggest a long acting Med over a short acting Med as you don’t want to be “remembering” yet another task to take your second pill .
I have an excellent chart on all of the medication used in adhd . I will email this to you :)
Thank you so much for all this! I'm actually very open to trying medication as a tool to support me -- I'd love to see that chart, thank you Natasha ❤️❤️
As always, thoughtfully explored and perfectly you! The more we see neurodivergence in all its forms through all parts of the world, the more we all grow. Thank you for sharing this new awareness and love you! (as an introvert who also periodically goes into a hole and comes back to friends and family as if no time has past, I am sending you a high five for that trait 🥰)
Thank you, my love ❤️ we are different but i love where we meet in the middle ❤️
Me too! With GF hot cross buns especially. 😋
I was diagnosed with ADD years ago and have many workarounds in place. I never realized that my not remembering to reach out to people is part of my ADD